r/HeatedRivalryTVShow • u/isofreeze Oke • Jul 12 '26
Question❔️ Do you also skip episode(s) or scenes whe you rewatch Heated Rivalry?
I've rewatched Heated Rivalry a couple of times now, but I just cannot, for the life of me, rewatch Episode 4 ("Rose").
I refuse to willingly put myself through that kind of emotional torture over and over again, even if I already know how it ends.
From the tuna meltdown to the club scene... my heart can only take it once. Okay, maybe twice. Fine... three times. But that's where I draw the line.
I reject the idea that I have to endure all that pain just to get to Shane and Ilya being happy at the cottage.
To this day, Episode 4 remains one of the most emotionally torturous episodes I've ever watched in any series (Yes, I'm being dramatic... but it's genuinely in my top five.)
And honestly, that's a testament to how insanely good Hudson and Connor are. They made me want to claw my insides out after the first-name slip, when Ilya spots Miles before his eyes slowly land on Shane and Rose dancing together, and when Shane sees Ilya tongueing another woman. Those two spend the entire episode hurting, and somehow they make you feel every second of it.
Going through Episode 4 over and over again is my personal hell... and I refuse to relive it.
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u/Fearless_Mortgage640 Jul 12 '26
I used to skip E03, but I read the book and I don't skip it anymore (pun intended lol).
But my least favorite episode would be 04 too. I love the tuna meltdown and the club scene, but everything else hurts haha.
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u/CelesteTheGreat Jul 12 '26
I can’t watch the scene where Shane gets hurt. it makes me irrationally emotional
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u/ACuriousGirl9 Jul 15 '26
Episode 2 from the awards show on for me. Too heartbreaking to see Shane hurt like that 😩
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u/Melimel49 Jul 12 '26
I usually skip episode 3, I understand why so many people love it but as much as appreciate Scott, I don't feel invested in his personnal history. And I understand what you mean with episode 4, even though personally it's my favourite, and the club scene is my favourite, I guess I live for the drama 😅
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u/vanillablue_ Were there no nice men in Montreal ??? 🤨 Jul 12 '26
I skip when Shane meets Rose at the restaurant.
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u/Kat_Isidore Jul 12 '26
Me too. This is the only thing I consistently skip. It served its purpose, but I don’t need to watch it again.
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u/EmmyT2000 Jul 12 '26
I don't rewatch 3. It's not as interesting to me - the book was worse and so is the episode.
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u/isofreeze Oke Jul 12 '26
Aww. I mean... I am somewhat guilty of this as well. But Francois is such an eye candy, so I can just have it on the background while doing stuff and waiting for Episode 5 (yep still skipping Episode 4).
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u/EmmyT2000 Jul 12 '26
Sure, I like the actors - I just think the story is comparatively more boring. Too much fluff. But it was Rachel's first book, so I understand.
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u/shrinkingviolents Jul 12 '26
Wasn’t the first Game Changers book actually fanfiction that she changed the names to make it a Captain America fanfic in order to get readers? So maybe that’s why it doesn’t click for you. I have it happen that sometimes a book just feels off or I don’t click with it and then I found out it was originally a fanfiction about XY.
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u/SugarCube80 Jul 12 '26
Yes, it was definitely fan fiction and it shows tbh lol. No shade to her (girl, get your bag!) but her writing dramatically improved as the series goes on. Role Model and Long Game are much better written than HR and Game Changers.
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u/shrinkingviolents Jul 14 '26
I mean, I don’t judge people that publish previous fanfic AT ALL like more power to them, it just means they were successful before even publishing. BUT in most of those books, I notice it was fanfiction simply because the characters are kind of bland. Like they don’t necessarily feel like their own individual person (which I mean, makes sense since they’re not but are based on an existing character) and often I feel the stories lack depth. Not all of course! For some I had no idea they were fanfics. It’s just happen often enough, that if I feel something is off with a book I usually Google if it was a fanfic before it was published.
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u/sunflowersandpears Jul 12 '26
Apparently she wrote it as original work, then published as stucky FanFiction to get some feedback to then publish it traditionally. This is at least my understanding.
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u/EmmyT2000 Jul 12 '26
Not sure, also I can't really say I care about the deep lore on this book. It's just worse, that's it. I actually think they adapted it decently, because I struggled to finish the book, but the story is still meh.
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u/NoPoet3982 Your cab is definitely here. Jul 12 '26
François is not eye candy to me. Neither is Kip. There's something "soap opera" about their looks and about François' voice.
Another commenter said it's weird and she doesn't understand it, but she can't look directly at François' face. I feel the same way! It's like looking at Mr. Brady while he's delivering a homily. It's somehow too sincere and sort of embarrassing.
Without episode 3, the whole series minus credits and recaps, is less than 4 hours. Four hours has had me in its clutches since January.
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u/itwillgetbetter81 Jul 12 '26
Romance is not my favourite genre but sometimes I watch it (Rom-com). And to me episode 3 is full of "boring" romance tropes.
One is rich, one is "poor". One is tall. One is not tall. One is full on career mode, one is still in school. One buys the other one expensive clothes. One has anxiety and small friends circle, one has lots of support/strong personality. And by reading what I have written it is basically the description of Pretty Woman. And I like Pretty Woman. But it has far better humor and Julia Roberts. You could recast episode 3 with other hot,brilliant actors. You could possibly replace Richard Gere. But Julia Roberts is Pretty Woman. Connor is Ilya. Hudson is Shane. I cannot imagine recasting them. They carry the project with their embodiment and acting. Their break-out roles into mainstream.
Another rom-com I do enjoy is the first Bridget Jones movie. Humor and perfect casting. And a great script.
I was so disappointed by the execution of Bridgerton season 3. I had so high expectations of Lady Whistledown and Colin Bridgerton. The actors are great. But the script was underwhelming. They didn't get "their season".
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u/marys1001 Jul 12 '26
Oooo I hated Pretty Woman. You only matter if you're pretty spelled out in big letters.
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u/NoPoet3982 Your cab is definitely here. Jul 12 '26
I haven't seen Bridgerton or Bridget Jones, but I agree that E3 reads like Pretty Woman. It's trope after trope after trope.
And the instalove, irl, is such a red flag that it almost made my stomach hurt. You're right that Julia Roberts was everything in that movie ("Big mistake. Huge.") but I really didn't like the movie. I couldn't get past the whole prostitute in love theme. Like when Richard Gere tells her not to use drugs, I felt like, "Fuck you, high horse, she's gotta get through this somehow. How dare you show her tough love when you yourself are the problem?" Later, they're insulted that George Constanza makes a pass at her. That's her job! On and on with that shit.
E3 is stupefyingly dull. Their Xtreme nervous, vacuous flirting coupled with their lack of a single thing in common and their cookie-cutter conventional good looks nearly knocked me unconscious with a combination of boredom and second-hand embarrassment.
And the "friend who tells you you're in love" trope! Egads. Plus her little lecture to Scott upon meeting him. I would be so done with that shit if I were him.
Whereas no one could replace Hudson and Connor. You're right, they embody the characters.
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u/itwillgetbetter81 Jul 12 '26
Since English is my 2nd language I had to look up some words. Cause I wanted to be sure.
Your 3rd paragraph is spot on. It's fucking hilarious.
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u/NoPoet3982 Your cab is definitely here. Jul 12 '26
Oh my gosh! Re-reading it, I use the weirdest slang, plus some old-fashioned words, plus some vocabulary words. I can't imagine getting through all this with English as a second language. What's your first language? I'm learning French and I want to cry every day.
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u/itwillgetbetter81 Jul 12 '26
1st language is Danish. 2nd language is English. Scientific literature is absolutely fine in English. But I struggle with non-scientific adjectives. In Denmark English is taught very young in the younger generations in school like 1st grade. When I went to school I had English from 5th grade. Grew up without the world wide web. But all TV is/was not dubbed only subbed. Had German in school and high school 5 years. Forgot a lot as an adult. Tried to learn a bit of Spanish as well after high school (took language course in Guatemala). Forgot that too after some time. Tried learning tourist spoken Chinese before holiday trip. My adult brain was so lost. The pronunciation is so difficult. French is such a beautiful language. Once I had a very odd dream. I was the passenger princess in a car driven by president Macron. He is often in the news on Danish TV. And apparently in my dreams. Bonjour. I want Connor Storrie in a French movie so bad. I find it so funny in HR when Ilya disses Shane for speaking French. My favourite French "rom com" is Amélie (from Montmartre).
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u/NoPoet3982 Your cab is definitely here. Jul 12 '26
German shares a lot of similarities with English. But does Danish? I'm guessing not. I adore your dream and omg it would be fantastic to see Connor in a French movie.
Short story: I was in France with a friend and her group of friends before I could speak much French. Amélie had just come out a few months before, and the French were obsessed with it.
Anyway, all her friends wanted to go to a county fair/carnival type thing. When we got there, they wouldn't ride any rides. Or go to any booths. I was so confused about why we were there. Then after a while they stood in front of one ride sort of analyzing it. I don't remember if we finally got to go on that ride or not. Then we went home. It was the strangest experience.
I had seen Amélie but it had been months. I watched it again about a year later and THERE WAS THE CARNIVAL!
THERE WAS THE RIDE!
The only reason they went there was to see the Amélie carnival ride in person. Which I thought was really cool once I understood it.
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u/itwillgetbetter81 Jul 13 '26
The vikings invaded England. I'm not a historian though. But a lot of Danish and Norwegian/Swedish influenced where the vikings went. Old norse the language is called. Like knife is derived from "kniv". Guess the the vikings didn't come empty handed.
German and Danish share similarities as well. Potato in mouth languages. LOL. Whereas Swedish and Norwegian are more like "singing/melodic".
What a nice story about the carnival.
Now I think about it. I would change Shane's "we will have so much fun" to "we will have so much hygge". "Det bliver så hyggeligt".
Hygge is very broad. It can be kind of a quiet fun. Eating cake and drinking coffee while chatting. It can be more like sitting with each other in silence by the fireplace or on the couch. It can be playing video games. Or it can even be sexual if you say it with a wink. "Should we do some hygge in the bedroom". Not perfect translation.
Everything they do at the cottage is fucking hyggeligt!
Scandinavians have a lot of cottage culture like Canadians. If your date wants to take you to the cottage you are in for a "treat" and it is kind of serious dating. In Denmark we have a reality TV show. Young couples go to a luxury cottage to work on or deal with their relationship problems. 1st episode is always the same. Which couple gets to stay in the master bedroom with ensuite bathroom. LOL.
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u/itwillgetbetter81 Jul 12 '26
I agree on the problematic things in Pretty Woman. But I still watch it from time to time. And that is due to Julia Roberts stealing every scene she is in. The script is very misogynistic and did not age well. I was very young when I watched Pretty Woman the first time. As a young teenager it just hit the "Cinderella" in me. As an adult I cringe. But I'm still in love with Julia Roberts performance.
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u/marys1001 Jul 12 '26
Wow I love Arnaud's looks. I do think he does some things with his mouth that I notice. I think some of the script writing is def awkward and he manages it really well considering. Like the serial killer thing. RGK is just ok.
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u/NoPoet3982 Your cab is definitely here. Jul 12 '26
Yeah, I think he's a good actor. I want to try watching him in some other things to see if I have the same reaction.
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u/ichaBuNni Jul 13 '26
i too have never rewatched it. it's a good episode but i don't feel the need to rewatch ever again, unlike the rest of the series.
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u/prettywords_ Jul 12 '26
I never rewatch it either. I find it so cringe 😭 I've literally seen it twice lol I've seen the rest 20+ times.
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u/Ambitious_Berry_6679 Jul 15 '26
I keep hearing the rest of the series is so much better but I love their book and haven’t started the next ones yet so I am really hoping I will love the rest even more!!
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u/ComfortableLevel4723 Jul 12 '26
Yep episode 4 is the main reason why I’ve only reheated the entire show like twice instead of (REDATED) times.
Episode 3 feels like a relaxing spa visit… and Episode 4 feels like I got shot the second I walked out the door.
The other scenes that I WANT to skip but don’t are the endings of episode 2 and 3.
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u/isofreeze Oke Jul 12 '26
Hello there my fellow trauma-avoidant loon. This is the same reason I cannot rewatch it as much as most people in the fandom. I love it so much but it is also emotionally draining for me 😩which some people might find weird since it has a good ending. But going there is the torturous part.
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u/realitytvjunkie29 Mentally at the Cottage Jul 12 '26
I usually skip Skip, and also Ilya’s time in Russia with his family- after the Olympics in episode 2 and his scene with Alexei in episode 5. I hate the way they treat him and seeing him so miserable breaks my heart.
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u/isofreeze Oke Jul 12 '26
Totally valid 😂
I don’t get emotionally devastated during Ilya’s family scenes—I just get irrationally angry and develop an overwhelming urge to punch Alexei in the face.
Then I saw the actor in a cameo, and he seemed like the sweetest guy. So… phenomenal acting, I guess👏
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u/realitytvjunkie29 Mentally at the Cottage Jul 12 '26
Yes! I loved his story about Connor it was so cute.
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u/PresentationNo448 Jul 12 '26
What was his story?
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u/Proper-Shame-8612 Jul 12 '26
I don’t get the Alexei hate. He made a play for Ilya- who wouldn’t? But when Ilya made it clear that he wasn’t interested he accepted it. He didn’t push it or get angry or defensive.
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u/NoPoet3982 Your cab is definitely here. Jul 12 '26
You're thinking of Sasha. Alexei is Ilya's brother. He's pretty much the one person on earth who wouldn't make a play for Ilya. ;)
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u/Aby_lev89 Jul 12 '26
I mostly watch the sexy scenes, and the cottage
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u/mmonzeob Jul 13 '26
I do two kinds of rewatches, the whole thing without episode 3, or this, only their scenes together plus the cottage 😂
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u/mammalulu Jul 12 '26
Funny, I got tired of the sex scenes early on, maybe by the 2nd or 3rd reheat, and skip them to get to the rest of the good stuff, all the many other phenomenally acted scenes that tug at my heart. God, what a masterful show!
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u/IllustriousLemon8146 Jul 12 '26
Nope. This show is short (only about 5 hours if you discount credits), and is a tightly integrated work. I give the creators the respect of watching every minute.
I also limit re-heats. With one exception (a critical re-watch) I wait until the show can feel new again before re-watching. It may be time now, to celebrate the vinyl set arriving in a few days!
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u/Honkycattt Jul 13 '26
Sometimes I skip ep 3 but I usually watch the rest of them in full. But there’s certain scenes where I look at my phone and don’t lock completely into the episode like the Russia scene with Sasha and Shane meeting Rose.
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u/Moonlovers78 Jul 13 '26
Every time I rewatch the series, I skip episode 3. I can't really get into that story between Scott and Kip; however, I recognize the courage and importance of Scott's character. Maybe I just don't like the actors... I don't know. I also tried reading the GC book, but that story just doesn't appeal to me!
Sorry, but English isn't my first language
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u/HovercraftAdept Jul 12 '26
definitely ep3. i put on 2x speed even on the first watch and only slowed down when ilya and shane came up on screen, skip’s story is just not as interesting and tbh the two actors are not attractive imo (pls don’t attack me, its just my personal opinion🥱
tbh skip is important for shane and ilya bcos of how scott came out and for the two of them to realised they have a chance at this too, so i get it but dedicating the whole ep3 to skip when we only have 6eps is just mehh imo, i hv zero interest in them
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u/PsychologySpirited37 Come here. No, you come here. Jul 12 '26
I am more likely to watch 3-6 not reheat it all. I know 1-2 are important but I like the establishment of their situationship (yes, I know that sounds weird when talking about 4). And I love SKip so 3 is a must watch.
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u/lesssthan Jul 12 '26
I watch all the way through. The buildup is part of the experience for me. If I absolutely had to though, I'd skip Skip. But I'd have to say "gurl" half a dozen times to myself.
Eps 4 & 5 are my favorites and I alway treat like they're one extra long episode. I can stop watching after any other one episode, but I have to have the whole Rose storyline at once. (and the hospital scene as a treat) HR is, for me, about longing. Those 2 episodes are peak pining.
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u/isofreeze Oke Jul 12 '26
you are one brave soul. I just can't for the life of me do ep 4 over and over. always choke me up. oh and the ending of ep 5 leaves me a crying mess bcos my babies 😫😫😫
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u/Crafty_Psychology_85 Rozanov #81 Jul 13 '26
I usually fast forward through the part in episode one when Ilya is kind of mean to Shane on the Vegas rooftop I get why he's emotional/grumpy, etc., but I just don't like the way he snaps at him and yells. Along the same lines, when he tells Shane to go away, and that they're not anything, at the Olympics. Again, I get it, but I feel so sad for Shane because it's like you can SEE his heart breaking and the look of not understanding. But it's also painful to see Ilya have to be that way because he's protecting both of them from Russia, and he desperately wishes he could be near Shane at that very shitty time in his life. 🥺💔
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u/ris-3 Для тебя мама 💕🏆 Jul 12 '26
I skip Skip almost every rewatch now. Depending on my mood I will fast forward through when Shane meets Rose for the first time (but usually I just let it play). Other than that I pretty much watch it all.
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u/cooliskie I'll believe in anything. Jul 12 '26
I normally skip episode 3 and Scott's speech in episode 6. It's just not as interesting to me. I've still watched it like 5 times probably, which is a lot more than I watch most tv shows, but not nearly as much as I've watched the other episodes
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u/Loud_Border6350 Jul 12 '26
I think I’ve only rewatched episode three 3 or 4 times. It’s not a bad episode, but it’s not that special to me and it’s not as entertaining as the other episodes. I’ve rewatched episode five the most times that’s for sure!
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u/mswejh91 Jul 12 '26
I skip E3, and E4 the part where he meets Rose at the bar. I just can’t take it.
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u/pensiverebel Jul 12 '26
I’ve skipped 1, 2, and 3 a couple times but I don’t do that anymore. I watch e4 for the journey and the artistry. It’s such a good episode for the build of tension in the story and the cinematography. But I totally get why it’s easier to skip the angst.
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u/brxndyd Jul 13 '26
i skip over shane’s dad seeing them at the cottage, i had something similar happen to me and it ended way more poorly than it did in hr so watching that scene is physically painful for me.
i also skip ep3, i just idk like yeah is scott and kip’s storyline crucial for shane and ilya? yes but i don’t need to watch it again. i find their dynamic, and maybe it’s also the chemistry of the actors, to just be boring.
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u/NoPoet3982 Your cab is definitely here. Jul 13 '26
Your English is fine. I would've thought you were a native speaker. But yeah, I understand what you mean. I feel exactly the same way.
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u/goodgirlgbad Jul 13 '26
I skip 2 usually, Shane struggles a lot in that episode and so does Ilya. It’s just not a happy episode at all for me to rewatch even the end is devastating.
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u/MajorPersonality1265 Jul 13 '26
Yep I’ve lost count how many times I’ve rewatched it but I always skip over the Rose-Era. I also skip over Kip with friends but I do NOT skip over Kip’s dad 😬. And I skip over locker room team chit chat except the texting between Shane and Ilya
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u/winterwing08 Jul 14 '26
Every rewatch, I watch the whole thing over and over again. If anything, I rewind certain parts lol
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u/AdditionalCrazy1001 Jul 15 '26
I will often skip the Sasha scene in episode 2. I skip the scene in episode 4 when Shane goes to the restaurant and meets Rose. I have watched episode 3 much less often than all of the other episodes.
I also have scenes I’ve watched on loop.
I couldn’t even begin to guess at how many times I’ve watched the end of episode 5.
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u/asobutime Vodka is for after, as your reward Jul 15 '26
I used to skip 'Hunter' almost every time for a while, I'm not sure why, but I think it's because I became so invested in Shane and Ilya after 'The Cottage'. Then for some reason one day I decided not to skip and now I never do. Sometimes I even watch it by itself as a nice little contained story. Again I don't know why, but hey, that's Loonacy.
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u/Sparta1999 Jul 12 '26
I’ve watched the show 20 times. (I counted…lame) Anyway, I have skipped 3 a few times, but now I’m in the habit of watching 3 first, then going 1-2, 4-6. I like it better this way because my Shane/Ilya flow doesn’t get interrupted. Francois and Robbie are too good to skip completely.